The objective of the invention is to improve on a commonly used electrical outlet box mounting of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,337. While the mounting disclosed in this patent is highly satisfactory once assembled or installed on a supporting wall stud, it requires an unsatisfactory amount of time and labor to install. The present invention seeks to substantially reduce this time and labor in the interest of economy, without sacrifice of any function in the installed device.
In the prior art exemplified by the referenced patent, it is first necessary to remove the outlet box mounting screws in order to attach the box to a provided mounting bracket which in turn is attached to a metal wall stud. A dry wall ring must also be connected to the far side of the mounting bracket by means of the removed outlet box screws. Following the assembly of the outlet box mounting bracket and dry wall ring, this unit is attached to the wall stud with two screws. Following the hanging of dry wall on the stud, the electrician must make another trip to each box location and install two more screws in the mounting bracket on the opposite side of the stud in order to stabilize the box against the dry wall so that it will not move when electrical devices are being installed in the box. These prior art installation procedures can be quite costly in buildings where many outlet boxes are involved.
The present invention simplifies the installation procedure and saves time and therefore money in two ways. By providing the oversize screw head clearance openings in the mounting bracket it becomes unnecessary to remove and then replace the box mounting screws in order to assemble the box with the bracket and the dry wall ring at the far side of the bracket. By providing the integral adjustable length right angle extension on the mounting bracket, it is no longer necessary for the electrician to return to the outlet box after dry wall hanging to install the two additional anchor screws. The extension fully stabilizes and anchors the box in cooperation with its two mounting screws and the box will not move while electrical installations are taking place. The engagement of the extension with the far side dry wall section resists movement of the box.